Risk Factors for Obesity and High Blood Pressure in Chinese American Children: Maternal Acculturation and Children’s Food Choices

The objective of this study is to explore risk factors associated with overweight and high blood pressure in Chinese American children. Students and their parents were recruited from Chinese language schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Data were collected on 67 children and their mothers, and included children’s weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, level of physical activity, dietary intake, usual food choice, knowledge about nutrition and physical activity, and self-efficacy regarding diet and physical activity. Mothers completed questionnaires on demographic data and acculturation. About 46% of children had a body mass index exceeding the 85th percentile. Lower level of maternal acculturation is a risk factor for overweight and higher waist to hip ratio. Children’s unhealthy food choices were predictive of high body mass index and high systolic blood pressure, whereas older age and less physical activity in children were predictors of high diastolic blood pressure. Developing culturally sensitive and developmentally appropriate interventions to reduce overweight and high blood pressure is critical to reduce health disparities among minority children

A systematic review of intervention effects on potential mediators of children\u27s physical activity

Background : Many interventions aiming to increase children’s physical activity have been developed and implemented in a variety of settings, and these interventions have previously been reviewed; however the focus of these reviews tends to be on the intervention effects on physical activity outcomes without consideration of the reasons and pathways leading to intervention success or otherwise. To systematically review the efficacy of physical activity interventions targeting 5-12 year old children on potential mediators and, where possible, to calculate the size of the intervention effect on the potential mediator. Methods : A systematic search identified intervention studies that reported outcomes on potential mediators of physical activity among 5-12 year old children. Original research articles published between 1985 and April 2012 were reviewed. Results : Eighteen potential mediators were identified from 31 studies. Positive effects on cognitive/psychological potential mediators were reported in 15 out of 31 studies. Positive effects on social environmental potential mediators were reported in three out of seven studies, and no effects on the physical environment were reported. Although no studies were identified that performed a mediating analysis, 33 positive intervention effects were found on targeted potential mediators (with effect sizes ranging from small to large) and 73% of the time a positive effect on the physical activity outcome was reported. Conclusions : Many studies have reported null intervention effects on potential mediators of children’s physical activity; however, it is important that intervention studies statistically examine the mediating effects of interventions so the most effective strategies can be implemented in future programs

Physical activity and inactivity in Chinese school-aged youth: the China Health and Nutrition Survey

OBJECTIVE: To describe physical activity (PA) and inactivity levels and patterns in Chinese school children (aged 6–18 y). DESIGN: PA and inactivity were assessed in a youth cohort enrolled in the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 1997. SUBJECTS: A total of 1423 males (11.5plusminus3.2 y) and 1252 females (11.5plusminus3.3 y). MEASUREMENTS: PA and inactivity were assessed by self-reported usual activity (questionnaire). Children under 10 y were assisted by parents. RESULTS: Approximately 84% of Chinese youth actively commute to school for a median of 100–150 min/week. A total of 72% engage in in-school moderate/vigorous (MOD/VIG) PA for a median of 90–110 min/week. Relatively few children (approximately8%) participate in any MOD/VIG PA outside of school. A total of 72% engage in study-related activities outside of school for a median of 420 min/week. Only 8% of Chinese school children, regardless of gender, watch television greater than or equal to2 h/day; less than 1% watch greater than or equal to4 h/day. Chores related to housework are not a part of life for Chinese school children; fewer than 20% performed these tasks. CONCLUSION: Chinese youth are unique compared to those in other developing countries because they do not perform household chores. Instead, they are under pressure to achieve scholastically. Participation in MOD/VIG PA outside of school is almost nonexistent. Current television watching habits are relatively low compared to developed countries and walking/biking is a common form of commuting. The descriptive analysis herein represents the foundation upon which future longitudinal studies of PA in this population will be base